Steering apparatus for airships.



L. C. BADEAU.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR AIRSHIPS. APPLICATION FILED 1UNE24. 1910 RENEWED FEB. 20, 1915.

1,155,031. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

v% z"iness-s: [22 venior: @zfiaz A it Louis iBadeazg J9 is J? orne L. C. BADEAU.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR AIRSHIPS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, new RENEWED FEB. 20. m5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fnvenior:

$1M Louis @Badeau, B his flllorne COLUMIHA PLANDDIAPH CO. WASHINGTON, D. C-

Louis 0. BA'ZDEAUI, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

I STEERING APPARATUS FOR AIRSHIPS.

masher. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28,1915.

Application filed June 24, ieiaseri i No. 568,758. Renewed February 20, 1915. Serial no. 9,745.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS of G-reater'New York, State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful 1111- A provements 1n Steermg Apparatus for Air ships, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable those skilled in the art "to which/it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to steering apparatus for air-ships; and, while in the accompanyin'g drawings the improvementsare, shown applied to] an air-ship of the so-cl'alled dirigible' balloon? type, they, may be applied as well to many other forms and types of machine for aerial navigation.

The object of the invention is to provide improved steering means whereby prac tically perfect control of the horizontal movements of the aerial craft may be attained. The improvements {are designed particularly for air-ships having longitudia nal propeller-"tubes, and a further object of the invention is to cause the rudderv to act upon practically the entirety of the column of air entering or leaving such propellertube, without 7 at any 7 time closing part or all of the openend of the tube.

The invention constitutes in part a division of my co-pending application for patent, Serial Number 586,024, filed January 3, 1910, and consists primarily of a vertical air-ship rudder pivoted at its inner end and having its pivotal axis adapted for lateral translations i The preferred form of the invention comprehends, in an air-ship,a longitudinal propeller tube andthe rudder asddescribed mounted at the open end thereof; and in the be'st form of the invention a rudderis located at both ends of such propeller tube.

The invention also consists insteering mechanism for air-ships includinga rudder The invention is illustrated the accompanying drawings by meansjof the pre ferred embodiments thereof; and in said drawings Figurel 1s a vertical longitudinalsection my ing to and through without in any way interfering with the If desired, as in my co tiltable through the airship; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan I p O. ,BADEAU, a citizen of the United States, and aresident an inclosed gas space a to be filled with a suitable gas of less specific gravity than air. This gas space is shown as formed between the propeller tube'c and an outer tube or container 6. Preferably, thepropeller-tube c is placed eccentrically within the outer tubeb, the ends ofv whichlatter are drawn" over and onto the ends of the smaller tube fastenedto the larger tube with their lowest points in parallelism, for the purpose of glving rigidity to and lowering the center of gravity of the balloon, thus counteracting:-

in great degree any tendency toward rolling or'rocking in a transverse sense. However, i

the particular relation of the tubes Z2 and 0 is not material to the present application.

The i'nfiatable'body or balloon may be:con-

structed of textile fabric, like silk or canvas, orany other suitable material, and may be properly braced and reinforced to with "stand externalas well as internal pressure;

but these are matters that do not concern the present invention.

The propeller-tube 0 isopen at bothends and forms an air-shaft or -tunnel, inwhich one or more vertical propellers d, d, preferably one immediately within each end of the tube, ship forward or backward. In addition, if desired, there may be providedhorizontal propellers f, g, mounted, respectively, in short, vertical tubes h, 2', which are open at their lower ends below the balloon body and communicate with fiues, such as shown in the top of the tube 6 propeller-tube a. pending application, planes may be located balloon body.

The letter it indicates a vertical rudder disposed centrally opposite the open end of the propeller-tube c.- In the bestconstr'uction, there are two rudders, located one at each end of the propeller-tube,

horizontal, at both sides of'the are mounted for moving the air-' co-pending application referredto, lead i as shown, Each rudder is pivoted atits inner end, as,

indicated at o, for lateral swinging movemay be turned or bothp If the latter, they may be turned oppositely and substantially ment. The inner, pivoted ends of the rudders are also adapted for lateral translation; and to this end, they are preferably pivoted to upper and lower laterally slidable blocks 32. These blocks are preferably guided by transverse slotted guides r, above and below the end of the propeller-tube and suitably secured to the frame-work of the air-ship.

The rudders maybe operated synchro-.

nously orindividually, or the lateral movement of the pivots may be synchronousand the turning movement independent, or viceversa. In'Fig. 21 have shown operating cords 8, extending laterally in opposite directions from the blocks 29, to which they are secured, passing around pulleys t adjacent the ends ofthe guides r, and connected to a commonoperating lever u, located con veniently at the operators car or seat v. Cords orthe like 'u) arev secured to the rudders neartheir outer ends, and thence pass rearward and outward to pulleys l and thence inward to the blocks 39, to which they are secured, It follows, therefore, that the operation of shifting the blocks laterally .inopposite directions, automatically turnsthe. rudders in opposite directions, so thatthe air-ship may be steered by a drifting action.

InFigs, 3 and l, s arethe cords orfiexible connectionsfor shifting the blocks 39 laterally, and these cords maybe connected to each otherand common to the two ruda ders as in Fi ,2 101'. the ma be inde end- 9 b 7 y y p ent, that is, with no. connection between the blocks at the two endsof the propeller tube,

so that the blocksmaybeshifted independently. A double crank arm a secured to the pivot of the rudder and cordsw secured to the ends thereof constitute an embodiment of means for turning the rudders independent of the lateral translation of the pivots.

In the operation of the invention, the rud ders may be merely turned laterally. Either into parallelism, thus controlling thedirec: tion of thecraft by means of a drift, Or the pivots of the rudders may be shifted laterally, in addition to, or synchronously with, the turning of the rudders. Thecombination of the'two movements is the valuable =feature of the invention, since it produces a turning effect of maximum influence upon the air-ship, and prevents the turningof the rudderlrom closing the end of propeller-tube: in any degree.

the!

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is :1 r

1. A machine for aerial navigation comprising in combination, means for supporting the machinein the air, means .for

propellingthe machine through the-air,a vertical rudder for acting on the air to ,alter the course of the machine, a laterally movable support substantially without deflecting eflectupon thei air to which the inner .endof said rudder is pivoted on a vertical lXlS aIl (l means for laterally moving said support in either horizontal direction and swinging said rudder in the opposite. direction.

2. A machine foraerial ,navigationhavmg a propeller, a vert calrudderad acent and in line with the ,propellena vertical pivot for said rudder at 1 its end adjacent the propeller, a support substantially with: outvdeflecting effect upon the air .by;.means,

the opposite direction.

3. 7111 ,an. air-ship, the, .combinationbof. propell ng means, vert cal ,rudders. .-1n 11116 W1tl1,-SL1(l propelllng means, one;1n front -of whichv the pivotedend ,of said lr'udden I -may be movedbodily. laterally. in either horizontal direction, and means {1601' later: ally shifting the pivoted end oftherudder; in one direction andswinging the, rudder .in

and one in rear thereofl laterally movable. supports to which the innerportionspf said j rudders aregpivoted on vertical; axes, means for, laterally moving. said supportal and means for swinging said rudders, fwhereby the supports may; be moved laterally and 7 1n opposite directions and; each rudder] swung, oppositely to the c direction .of movement of. its support.

4. In, an. air-ship,theecombination of a forward rudder and a rearward rudder, pro- I pellersl disposed between said rudders, and meanswhereby, said rudders may be bodily shifted'laterally' in opposite directions and simultaneously @swung about x vertical axes 5. In an a -s ip, t ele m in ioa. fLa horizontal guide, a support movable horii zontally on {said guide, a vertical rudder, and a vertical pivot sllpportingsaid ,rndden' adjacent their innerends in a direction op posite, to therlirection ofbodily shifting,

011 sa d s pp a d ns rai ng; t e ru er to swing in horizontal directions only,

6. An air-ship havingv a longitudinal tube, front and .rear verticalrudders op-, v posite the ends ofsaid tube, mountingsjorj I said rudders whereby they iare bodily, inevablelaterally in opposite directions and are also adapted to swing. laterally aboutverti;

cal axes adjacent their inner ends, and op erating meansior. laterally .Slllftllig, and

swinging said lrudders,sothat the; rudders I act uponsubstantially the entirety, of the 'columnof air; entering; or leaving; the tube:

rection with reference to the ends .of the tube, and means whereby the rudders may be swung in directions opposite to the direction of bodily shifting.

8. In an air-ship, a' longitudinal propeller-tube, horizontal guides at the ends thereof, supports slidable in said guides, and vertical rudders at both ends of the propeller tube pivoted to said supports to turn on vertical axes only.

9. In an air ship, a longitudinal propeller tube, horizontal guides at the ends thereof,

supports slidable in said guides, and vertical rudders at both ends of said propeller tube pivoted at their inner ends to said supports to turn on vertical axes only.

10. In an air-ship, a horizontal guide, and

a vertical rudder mounted to slide bodily laterally on said guide and also to turn laterally.

In witness whereof I have set my hand this 22d day of June, 1910, at the city, county and State of New York, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, Louis 0. BADEAU.

B. W. CoULDooK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

